Interstate Music and Poetry Club Meeting!

We will have the first meeting of the semester for the Interstate Music and Poetry Club on October 16th, 2008, at 11 a.m. in the Writing Studio. We have a new student president, Rhett Berry, and we will be outlining a new organizational structure as well as discussing our creative activities for the year. We will soon be submitting a proposal to the SC Arts Commission for funding for our second year of the arts grant, and the Club meeting is a good opportunity to come up with ideas about what we want to be funded for. One of the things we will be focusing on is the development of a literary journal on campus. We already have a collection of poems from students, faculty, and community members ready for print publication, and the online version is ready now at http://www.anunbendingdream.blogspot.com/. We are also working on an audio production (CD) version of the publication.

All students are welcome (faculty, staff, and administration are also welcome.) Please bring your poetry, music, or any other creative expression ideas with you.

Here is an example of one of our fabulous student poems that was submitted earlier this year as part of our Dub Poetry Initiative. It is by Kayla Mullins, a dual enrollment student at Orangeburg Preporatory School and in Eng 101 (with Ms. Miles).

Where I Was When

Where was I

I wish I knew

My body

I've been told it was there

Lungs pumped with oxygen

My heart beat in rhythm

but my soul

the person that I am where was I

The world changed

But I slept through

The civil rights movement

Changed the nation

Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed

and I dreamed too

But divisions continued

violence in Orangeburg

But I was at peace

Kennedy

The Cold War

And Space Program

We saw the moon

but what did I see

Where was I

Nixon, VietNam

People died in war

Was I dead inside?

Transition, new World order,

Reagan, Carter, Bush

Things changed

My body aged

New hope

In each sign of life

Slowly awakening

To a new day

in 1990

Where was I

I missed so much change

It is like I wasn't even here at all

Like I was not even born yet

A Bit of Humor to Start Things Off in September

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1823766

Which font is your personal favorite?

Writing Anxiety

Many writers experience anxiety about the projects they are working on. In the month of August, we at the OC Tech Writing Studio are going to focus on addressing this anxiety in students that we meet with and see what strategies are helpful.

As the Bedford Guide to Writing Tutors explains, "Writing anxiety can take many forms. One student frets because he can't simply put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and immediately produce a good piece of writing. Another student dislikes writing so much that she puts off getting down to work and finds herself approaching the deadline with little behind her but worry and procrastination. Still another student writes and writes and writes, trying to get what he has to say 'right.' Though the specific suggestions you offer each of these students may vary, it is always helpful to present yourself as a sympathetic ally" (Ryan 43).

David and I will comment on the kinds of anxiety we see in students this month and how we approached the related challenges.

Video Clip from our Dub Poetry Workshop

I am so pleased to be able to share this clip from our Dub Poetry/Music Event that took place at our college in January. Our special guest was Jamaican jazz guitarist Maurice Gordon, but this clip features a young man (now studying at Claflin), who did a spontaneous song for us called "I Need Your Love Every Time, Jesus." He was one of the band members who just showed up from various local colleges and the community to form a last-minute band on the stage with Maurice. It was just too cool. The video is shaky because we did it ourselves, and we are just learning, but we are pleased to be able to reach students where they live --- on YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Blogger, and MOG ! We will be posting students performing their dub poems over the coming weeks; this is our first effort.

Tutoring this week

My tutoring experience this week reminded me of two typical mistakes first year college English students make: students often write as they talk, and students have a hard time writing consistent argumentative essays. To improve both of these weaknesses, I recommend that students study academic documents and journals to see the difference between their writing and more experienced writing. Reading for pleasure is another great remedy to this problem.

With argumentative essays, I recommend analyzing the reason why you have put each topic in your paper. Also, ask yourself if each topic truly supports your thesis.

Happy writing,

Debra

Need Help with Citations??

Students lately have been needing assistance with citations both in-text and on the "works cited" page of their essay. Well WORRY NO MORE...
There is a wonderful website that can help you cite your sources from books, websites/pages, an encyclapedia or magazine and much more!
Go to www.citationmachine.net, simply choose the format that your paper must be written in and then choose what type of source your docement is. You will then answer all questions asked, submit your documents information and then copy and paste your new citation to your essay's works cited page...if you have any questions call the Writing Studio at OCtech!
David Drumheller

Analyzing Poetry

In the near future, I will be assisting a student with the brainstorming stage of an essay analyzing a poem. This has made me think of some tips for tackling this type of essay. Here is the list I have come up with so far. . .

-Pick a poem that you are passionate about. At the least, pick a poem that you really like or can relate to.

-Remember that poems say a lot in just a few words.

-Make notes of what the poem is expressing in each line or stanza.

-See if there is a relationship to the rhythm of the poem and the topic of the poem.

-Look for symbolism! This is often bountiful in most poetry.

Does anybody else have any tips?